Digging in frozen ground?

[Gardener Bob]

Greetings,

I'm the proud new owner of a BX25 as of about 24 hours ago. SO much fun! I have some stumps I've been eager to dig out, but here in Maine the top inch or so of soil is frozen. Is it asking too much of my backhoe to deal with this layer of frozen soil? Thanks!

 

[Stumpy]

Depends on how frozen it is. Try it in a spot you won't see. That itty bitty backhoe doesn't have the brute force a larger unit does so you might not be able to break through. In Alaska with several inches of permafrost they actually have to thaw the ground with heating coils before digging otherwise it's like trying to dig concrete. If it's not completely frozen, as in a little wet you oughta be able to break through it to unfrozen soil with a little effort.

 

[bcbull378]

Im the wrong one to say, digging in something frozen adds up to getting a frozen beer mug out of the frezzer , I farm in Ca its 72 here today. be safe in the cold country.....Dan, and its time for a beer

 

[hodge]

If it's only an inch or so, I can't imagine that you wouldn't be able to break through that. The only thing to do is give it a try. Either it will, or it won't- it won't hurt anything.

 

[HUMPHEYDO]

congrats on the purchase i have about 150 hrs on mine bought in june what a nice machine stumps Hmmmm brings back lovely memories this is before and after

 

[Gardener Bob]

Wow, Humpheydo, that's an inspirational before and after! Look great. And Bcbull, it's cruel to talk about 72 degrees in December (actually, we hit 50 in Maine today -- what a "winter"!). Thanks for the replies -- my backhoe can definitely cut through the frozen layer of soil, but I was afraid I might be overworking my machine. On the other hand, the guy from the dealership who delivered it said I should "drive it like I stole it", so he was encouraging me to just go for it and not baby the machine.

 

[Kubota_Man]

On the other hand, the guy from the dealership who delivered it said I should "drive it like I stole it", so he was encouraging me to just go for it and not baby the machine.

Ummmm.....I bet if you take a look at the owners manual it says something to the effect "Treat her nice now and she will give you what you want later" There is a reason for the 50 hour service that is about the time it takes to break her in. "Drive it like you stole it" is a recipe for troubles later.

 

[Stumpy]

Ahh break in on the motor, that's a different story. I have no idea I've never used a real tractor with less than three dozen seasons on it.

From what I know about breaking in engines it's a balance between generating enough cylinder pressure to seat the rings without overheating them. In a rebuilt car engine that means you idle it about 15 minutes, let it cool off, run it gently til it comes up to temperature, let it cool off, then alternate between loading it and costing or driving at low speeds (>50mph) gradually increasing the throttle setting and max rpm in different driving sessions, again letting it cool off between runs. Once you've used full throttle a few times change the oil/filter then you can drive normally up 500-1000miles with the exception that you shouldn't use the same power setting for long periods of time (don't run at the same speed on the freeway). I'll usually change the oil/filter again about this time but that's me, after this point the rings are mostly seated and overheating them is no longer easy to do. That's how I was taught to do it.

Now most auto manufactures (and motorcycle) these days do the preliminary break it at the factory so I'll seat the rings a few times myself with full throttle and then drive it upto the 500-1000 mile mark, change the oil and drive normal. Whether Kubota does that I don't know. In your shoes I'd work it a bit but take care not to let the engine run hard for longer than a couple of seconds and give it a few to cool off between loadings. That's just edjumacted guessing, someone with more direct experience will likely chime in.

 

[Gardener Bob]

Great info about breaking in the engine, thanks. And yes, the manual does say to avoid running the tractor at full speed (which I assume to mean full throttle/rpms) for the first 50 hours, and to generally take it easy on the machine. So what do people do for 50 hours? Drive the tractor around the fields at different speeds until that 50 hour mark? Seems like a long time! (I understand from the manual that the investment of care during the early break-in period will result in longer/better tractor life, so I do get that. Still, 50 hours of break-in seems like a long stretch before you can do any 'real' work with the tractor!). Thanks for all the responses.

Bob

 

[skeets]

GB that’s mostly product liability stuff use the damn thing work her just don’t get nutz is all, and don't get cocky and try to use it beyond what it was meant for cut your grass dig your holes just work at it easy till ya get your hours up. CHANGE EVERYTHING oils, filters, EVERY THING do the front end make sure that’s drained and refilled,, and then run it like ya stole it,, ya either have a garage queen or a work horse and once you figure out how much it will do,,, Bubba you will wonder how you got along this far with out the little orange thing in the barn.

The above desecration is that of the writers opinion , and not that of the manufacturer

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Try it, either she digs in the ground or she doesnt. Worst comes to wrost you'll wont be as productive if it ground was thawed. Your hydraulics wont allow you to get to carried away and break anything, with the back flow preventers on modern tractors. They wont bend in half like their old school counter parts.

 

[Stumpy]

Nothing preventing you from doing work with it. To the engine loading it with the hydraulics is the same as loading it by accelerating. I'd just set the governor to 1/2 to 3/4 max rpm and take it easy. I.E. don't sit there and beat on a stump hard or dig a hole as fast as you can for 20 minutes. Load it but take it slow and try not to let the engine work hard for longer than a couple of seconds. Oughta break it in nicely.

 

[jdecker94]

well heres how my neighbor swears he broke every diesel machine he has owned in. driving it around under no load for 40 hours then doing light work for 10 then do the 50 hour maintenance. i watched him break in his rtv 900, at i believe it was 3.7 MPH up and down the road for a few days. that was entertaining to say the least.

 

[MagKarl]

I wouldn't worry about it one bit. Backhoe work is pretty easy on the tractor engine, just a steady RPM and light variable load.

 

[ipz2222]

jdecker, your neighbor is 100 percent right. Most of us just don't have the patience to do that. I've heard ignorant morons say, " I break 'em in by driveing it like I stole it", meaning, hard. Being a mechanic, I cringe at the though of all that metal not haveing time to "mate" together.

 

[jdecker94]

so really the first 50 hours are crucial. well anyway good luck with the digging!

 

[Gardener Bob]

Thanks for all the replies. In terms of break-in I guess there's an element of judgment -- somewhere between taking it easy while also doing at least some work with the machine.

Reading through the manual I was surprised that there weren't more recommendations about the optimal RPMs to run the various implements. For example, when using the backhoe, should I be running at about 1/2 of max (which I guess would be in the low-2000's)? For the FEL I assume I'd be running at higher RPMs?

 

[Eric McCarthy]

RPM's can kinda vary depending on the job at hand. General rule of thump most pto work is done around 540 rpm's such as bush hogging, mowing and tilling. Sometimes you may need to juice up the rpms depending on ground conditons if the soil is real hard or if your working in clay. For me if I'm doing grading with my tractor I bump up the throttle enough so when I let out the clutch it grabs and wont stall out. And from there I use the foot throttle for more or less power as needed. For me its rare I run my tractor at any major throttle unless I'm bush hogging or using the finishing mower.

 

[skeets]

jdecker, your neighbor is 100 percent right. Most of us just don't have the patience to do that. I've heard ignorant morons say, " I break 'em in by driveing it like I stole it", meaning, hard. Being a mechanic, I cringe at the though of all that metal not haveing time to "mate" together.

I resemble that remark,,LMAO

 

[MagKarl]

Thanks for all the replies. In terms of break-in I guess there's an element of judgment -- somewhere between taking it easy while also doing at least some work with the machine.

Reading through the manual I was surprised that there weren't more recommendations about the optimal RPMs to run the various implements. For example, when using the backhoe, should I be running at about 1/2 of max (which I guess would be in the low-2000's)? For the FEL I assume I'd be running at higher RPMs?

Run it whatever RPM you are comfortable with. Your backhoe should be just as strong, but it will move faster with higher RPM. Same with your loader. Increase the RPM as you become more proficient at digging smoothly with the backhoe. The only impliment I care about RPM much is my mower, and even then I don't often get it fast enough for a true 540 PTO RPM.